Assessment is a key component of institutional effectiveness. It refers to the measurement of student outcomes and the results of administrative processes that are an expected consequence of the educational process. It is a mechanism to determine the effectiveness of institutions, departments, and programs in meeting the educational goals that they have established for themselves. The primary purpose of administrative assessment is to facilitate the ongoing planning and evaluation processes that ultimately result in institutional improvement.
Assessment enables administrative departments and programs to be more "intentional" in the operation of their programs for students. It stimulates explicit reflection, discussion, and consensus-building of objectives, systematic measurement of the extent to which objectives are being met, and meaningful efforts to use this information to make improvements.
Good assessment changes the focus of attention from what resources and services institutions offer to what outcomes are attained. Traditionally, higher education has emphasized "processes" and "inputs" as a means for assessing quality. For example, we have judged an administrative office to be effective if provides students with, for example, suitable co-curricular programs to further their leadership skills. Yet, if challenged on the point, most administrators would probably acknowledge that, while "inputs" are extremely important, they are not indicators of the amount of growth that has actually occurred. Providing opportunities and achieving results are two sides of the same process, but they are not the same thing. Assessment highlights this conceptual distinction and leads to a focus not only on administrative processes but also on the outcomes they are intended to achieve.
Assessment can be structured in many different ways and can be incorporated within an institution with widely varying purposes, objectives, and components. In an effort to define the role of assessment at Roanoke, the following governing principles are elucidated:
(1) Roanoke College is committed to assessment and to the development of a unified, coherent, comprehensive program of assessment that includes both administrative units and academic departments and programs.
(2) Administrative staff have primary responsibility for the development, implementation, and maintenance of administrative assessment.
(3) Administrative assessment requires clearly defined objectives against which expected outcomes can be measured. Program objectives are the responsibility of individual units and administrative divisions and programs but are consistent with the College's Statement of Purpose, Institutional Standing Goals, and Curriculum Goals.
(4) Administrative assessment activities are conducted solely for formative purposes; the results of such activities are not to be used in the evaluation of individual staff members.
(5) Assessment strategies and activities are selected and developed in such a way that they promote the learning and personal development of Roanoke students.
(6) Assessment is a collaborative effort that requires coordinated efforts among staff within and across administrative divisions.
